Systems and Methods for Gathering and/or Presenting Information

ABSTRACT

The present invention provides systems and methods for presenting a quantity of information in a single tool. Such a tool includes a map of various objects, the objects having themes relating to a given overall concept, wherein at least one object contains information relating to other objects that have a relationship with that object.

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.11/286,370, filed Nov. 25, 2005, now U.S. Pat. No. 8,180,749; whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application Ser. No.60/630,303, filed Nov. 24, 2004, the contents of which are herebyincorporated by reference herein in their entirety into this disclosure.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to information management. Moreparticularly, the present invention relates to systems and methods forgathering, analyzing and managing information from various sources andpresenting the culmination in a single source.

2. Background of the Invention

The development of the Internet and the proliferation of technology haveheightened awareness of the magnitude of information that is available.Such information is often critical for individuals, companies andorganizations in determining future actions as a result of consideringprior goals or achievements. Further, such information may be attainedand presented through various tools. A significant obstacle inconventional information management is presenting all relevantinformation within a single tool.

Conventionally, various tools for presenting information have been used.Of such tools, four popular examples include flow charts, databases andsoftware applications, web navigation and neural networks. Each suchexample has certain advantages and disadvantages. For example, there isan overload of information in traditional databases. There are too manypages to consider in web navigation. Most flow charts are “soft”relational rather than fully representative of the way systems work andare populated by tangible resources and populations of end-users. Neuralnetworks are limited to “cause and effect”—conditional algorithms thatdo not capture the dynamic flow of an entire system or industry. Aboveall, these approaches can rarely simultaneously capture the “who” and“where” and “how” of most systems—a failure to connect resources,populations and functions in real time and based on real facts. What isneeded is to solve the problem of providing an intuitive flow fordynamic information that is not only complex but changing/updatingthrough time.

Thus, a need exists in the art to provide a tool that has the ability tocapture information from various sources and present the informationthrough a single tool by presenting the relationship between the sourcesand the impact of such sources upon other sources.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This present invention provides, among other advantages, stakeholders invarious fields with a tool for managing entire systems, industries,institutions and enterprises, regardless of their simplicity orcomplexity. The invention represents a single integrated picture of howthe system works, managing critical information and data regarding whocontributes to it, who is effected by it, what is produced or provided,where resources are accessed and how the system stakeholders cancoordinate and collaborate to ensure that all components are integrated,sustainable, appropriate, effective and efficient.

Fields and industries suitable for the application of the invention arevirtually unlimited. Examples include, but are not limited to: healthcare, investment banking, child and youth development, facilitymonitoring systems, workforce development, public safety, criminaljustice, economic development, education, government, enterprisemanagement, manufacturing, tourism and entertainment, political campaignmanagement, military operations, homeland security, national defense andintelligence, among others. This tool would be helpful to anyorganization or in any situation where information or data is to beconsidered from various sources and relationships drawn to determine howa system or method functions or is maintained.

In one exemplary embodiment, the present invention provides stakeholderswith a critical tool for achieving a more complete understanding of theexisting services and resource delivery within and across systems. It isdefined by the experience of the system contributors and end clients,representing a potentially unifying expression of how stakeholders cancoordinate and collaborate to provide integrated, sustainable,appropriate, effective and efficient service delivery—the ultimate goalof any system. The present invention is also designed to enablecontinuous updating of changes in system structure, resources,information and status.

The present invention has numerous advantages that are defined by thefunctions in its architecture. Exemplary functions that providecompetitive advantages include, but are not limited to: defines theroles, responsibilities and resources of all major partners andcollaborators; provides an elegant and comprehensive documentation ofhow a system works; develops a clear view of a system that is relevantand useful to all stakeholders; and provides a tool that is updateableand easily altered with changes in the system, its structure andresources.

Many goals may be achieved by use of tools according to the presentinvention. Such goals include, but are not limited to: a cleararticulation of the relationship between global, national, regional,state and/or local resources; improved overall understanding of how aservice system impacts end-users; yield greater efficiency andeffectiveness of programmatic, financial, information and knowledgemanagement efforts; and empower stakeholders to develop plans forleveraging public and private resources.

In one particular exemplary embodiment, the present invention caninclude an articulation of funding streams, the methods of servicedelivery, and the types of populations served by different serviceproviders. This process also begins to establish a common language forstakeholders to use in describing the system profiled—often a challengewhen conducting any form of strategic planning or program coordination.Many fields cover a broad array of issues and play host to a diversevariety of stakeholders: administrators, service providers, socialworkers, public health professionals, nurses, practitioners, evaluators,budget officers, legislators, politicians, regulators, etc. Establishinga common frame of reference, easily understandable and accuratelyreflective of how a system of service delivery works is a challengingbut necessary endeavor for creating lasting and meaningful improvementto the management and sustainability of an effective system. The presentinvention provides an opportunity for both immediate and long-termbenefits by providing this comprehensive frame of reference.

The process of developing a tool according to the present inventioninvolves research, interviews, periodic consultations, site visits, andcollaborative sessions all geared toward mapping a given system orindustry, its programmatic and institutional resources, as well ascollaborative processes such as planning groups and committees thatinvolve multiple partners. Hence, the present invention represents a newand potentially significant contribution to improving and coordinatingresources.

In another exemplary embodiment, the present invention focuses on thetangible existing resources in a service delivery system and sets out toidentify and analyze the program type, population served, programmaticcapacity, access points, funding and revenue sources, and any othervariable requested by the client and its partners. The exemplary tool,which may be on one or multiple servers, and linkable to numerousdatabases in real time, gathers together detailed information to createa more unified and comprehensive system, while simultaneously producinginformation that can be disseminated to all stakeholders in the field.

Tools according to the present invention can assist in identifying thegaps in needs and services but just as importantly, they can facilitategreater programmatic communication between organizations that share adesire for profiting, predicting and/or improving conditions in thefield, industry or institution. By identifying resources and performingthe system analyses, such tools also enhance the process of buildingcapacity for planners, managers, evaluators and service providers,making “the whole greater than the sum of the parts.” Among thefunctions of an exemplary tool are, but are not limited to:documentation of collaborative processes and planning groups; detailedprogram information, including capacity (number served) and fundingstreams and financial resources for sustainability; identification ofchallenges and opportunities to build additional service-basedpartnerships; and articulation of best-practices models for inclusion instrategic planning and management decisions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a generic system map according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 shows a map for the system of early childhood in a stateaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 provides a close-up examination and articulation of thefunctioning of objects within the invention—as an extension of theexample provided in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 shows a map for a specific county within a state's system ofearly childhood.

FIG. 5 shows a detail of FIG. 5 when one object is selected andhighlighted and all its pathways and interdependencies within the systemare revealed.

FIG. 6 shows a generic map of a facility licensing and monitoring systemaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 provides a more specific example of a facility licensing andmonitoring system as an extension of FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention applied inthe valuation of stock.

FIG. 9 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention applied inthe field of homeland security and counter-terrorism.

FIG. 10 shows an exemplary embodiment of the present invention appliedin the criminal justice system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a tool for gathering and managing a largequantity of data and presenting it from a systemic point of view on asingle page or portal in a highly condensed form. The invention utilizescodes and symbols to allow for the interdependent functioning ofresources, end-users, geographic areas, financial information, andinstitutions to be captured, managed, manipulated and evaluated. Eachindustry or field of endeavor can be viewed as a system, whether it behealth care, the airline industry, investment banking, government,public safety, child and youth development, economic development, ormilitary/intelligence operations. Each system is made up of distinctfunctionalities, institutional resources, populations affected orserved, methods, outcomes, financial information, capacities,capabilities, interdependent relationships, or the like. The presentinvention brings the relevant elements together in a way that allows fora single integrated picture of the system to then guide all managementissues. In other words, such a tool according to the present inventionis used to manage the entire system, institution or enterprise, ratherthan simply one piece of it.

The present invention shows relational pathways in service delivery andfunction across multiple organizations and programs. It is defined bythe experience of the system contributors and end clients and istherefore the unifying expression of all functions, resources andinterdependencies. It reveals and provides a means for how partners cancoordinate and collaborate to provide seamless service delivery.

In the non-limiting example shown in FIG. 1, the invention is revealedin one of its many exemplary embodiments, presenting a genericperspective of the ways in which information in a system, institution,industry or enterprise can flow. This example includes various majorcomponents, including Variable Field 1—funding sources (the differenttypes of funds driving the development and delivery of products andservices in a system), Variable Field 2—the population of, and types ofclients served (who benefits or receives the goods and servicesprovided/who enters system/what funds follow or are invested in them),Variable Field 3—the physical and virtual access points where servicesare delivered and/or developed (where and howclients/partners/institutions can access services), Variable Group4—practice methods of service delivery (connoting how, where and/or whena service is provided), Variable Group 5—the service sectors of thesystem, industry or enterprise (here connoting what and how clients andpartners receive services and from whom) and Variable Group 6—the systemoutcomes desired and/or monitored (the result of efforts/the status ofperformance/the variables that contribute to outcomes). This figure isnon-limiting and the variables and labels used within each variable ismerely presented to show an example of how the invention may be used togather and present large amounts of information in a singlecomprehensive tool. The below description presents the process used todevelop a system map similar to the exemplary map shown in FIG. 1.

In certain exemplary embodiments, the present invention begins bydocumenting resources, populations, methods, outcomes and tracking datastreams. At an early stage, this process focuses primarily on thedocumentation of resources in a broad sense, not an inventory of allservice providers across the targeted geographic area (a city, state, ornation, for example), but a significant number of which operate locallyor regionally. The mapping of resources moves forward to anticipate thecollection of information in a detailed way that permits aggregation tothe level of whatever greatest geographic or other boundary is set bythe clients and their partners. The consideration here is to build acapacity within organizations to be able to standardize the means bywhich they gather and communicate information and therefore develop aninfrastructure for convening planning and evaluation across the targetedgeographic area during the years following the initial population of thedata managed by the invention.

Using code groups and symbols, the invention is able to both separateand aggregate information regarding the key functions and components ofa system. For example, one code group, designated by Arabic numerals,may be assigned to information objects that possess a core function,such as a funding stream. A second code group, designated by capitalletters in alphabetic order, may be assigned to institutions providingservices. A third code group, designated by roman numerals, may beassigned to a family of classifications listing the practices of theindustry. A fourth code group, designated by Arabic numerals enclosed inparenthesis [for example: (1)(2), (3)] is used to code the variousservice sectors that may be the target or originating point for anotherobject's relation to the service sector. A fifth code group, designatedby a combination of Arabic numerals with lower case letters enclosed inparenthesis [for example: (1a)(2b)] provides a means to encode systemoutcomes in this example. A sixth code group, using enclosed lower caseletters [for example: (a)(b)] is used to create an association forsystem support groups of practices and stakeholders. These could becomprised of partner entities, clients, practitioners, or any othercollaborative or distinct means for the larger system or entity to besupported, evaluated, assessed, etc.

Each of the code groups is associated with its respective designation.The designated variables above are grouped (vertically, horizontally, orotherwise) with their like variables, providing clear differentiation ofthe functional component each represents within the system. In addition,since each distinct member of a variable group is placed within a box orother graphic that separates the member from the rest of the memberswithin its variable group, this allows for the inclusion of theapplicable code groups to be represented within the box and, therefore,link the variable groups together in a way that aggregates sub-systeminformation into the whole of the system.

In a given system map, such as the exemplary map shown in FIG. 1,various symbols may be used to enhance or supplement the informationgiven. For example, the * and + symbols connote that resources were notfully funded or operated system wide, respectively. Here the example ofa qualifier is to note valuation of financial information and geographicarea of impact. The present invention may be used for virtually any typeof qualifier—populations served, services offered, evaluationsperformed, practices and methods incorporated, etc. A key to the tool isthe identification of the variable groups and the assignment ofcorresponding code groups and symbols that allow for a condensedcommunication of the flow between and among them.

In an example of how a tool may be constructed, from FIG. 1, four boxesare drawn denoting each of the four types within Variable Field1—funding sources (code group One above). Within each box of fundingsource types are listed specific funding streams, each with an Arabicnumeral assigned, that designate the “initiatives funded”—a relation tothe items within Variable Field 2—from each particular source. The firstbox is entitled “Funding Source Type 1” and contains eight distinctInitiatives funded (Initiatives 5-12). The second box, locatedunderneath the first, is entitled “Funding Source Type 2” and has sevendistinct funding streams to Initiatives 1,3, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 (1,3-8).The third box is entitled “Funding Source Type 3” and has one fundingstream to an Initiative listed (2). The fourth box is entitled “FundingSource Type 4” and has three funding streams to the Initiatives listed(5, 6, 7 or 5-7).

However, in this example, the origin of the association for the objectswithin Variable Field 1 is found in the objects within Variable Field2—the Initiatives. In other words, the funding sources, and the fundsspecifically provided to the system in question, are organized by theirrelation to the objects of their investment. In this example, the term“Initiatives” is used. In FIG. 2, as a differentiating example, the term“Children Served” is used since it is a child development system beingprofiled. Returning to FIG. 1, Variable Field 2 is meant to allow forthe aggregation and differentiation of various populations of clients.The first box within Variable Group 2, marked as “Population Type 1” hasArabic numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4—one for each of the “Initiatives”affecting Population Type 1. The second box has Arabic numerals 5, 6, 7,8 and 9—again for each of the Initiatives affecting, in this case,Population Type 2. The third box, Population Type 3 has Arabic numerals10, 11 and 12—one for each of the three distinct Initiatives affectingPopulation Type 3.

In FIG. 1, therefore, Variable Group 1, connoting sources of funding, isdirectly associated with Variable Group 2, the Initiatives funded thataffect distinct types of populations of clients. The reason for thisassociation is born from the fact that the Initiatives, which mayinclude but not be limited to services, products, programs,eligibility-based benefits, and population-defined experiences, amongothers, would be funded from some specific source or sources. TheseFunding Sources might include, but not be limited to, federal or statemonies, private sector investments, revenue-generating functions withinan Initiative, donations, third-party contributions, and others. One ofthe challenges in managing any system is keeping track of funds, theirsources, and their destinations. A similar challenge exists whenconsidering populations affected by a system, institution, enterprise orindustry. Within these first two Variable Fields, therefore, theinvention has already paired issues affecting funds and populationsthrough the connection made through the Initiatives they fund orreceive.

In an automated system, such as a database using the invention as itsportal or navigation tool, a user of the invention will be able toreceive, at the click of a button or mouse, updated information on theaggregate Initiatives targeting a given population, for example“Population Type 3”, and be able to view the net financial investment orfunds flowing to that population as well as a breakdown of those fundsby each distinct Initiative. In FIG. 1, Population Type 3 has threeInitiatives—10, 11, and 12—and these Initiatives have their respectivefunding source, in this case—only Funding Source Type 1. Whereas theInitiatives within Population Type 1 and 2 have multiple fundingsources, which therefore overlap in their contribution to theInitiatives conducted, Population Type 3 has only Funding Source Type 1for its support. This therefore immediately places meaning in thecontext of Population Type 3—namely, that any changes to Funding SourceType 1 will have similar changes to the Initiatives affecting PopulationType 3. Likewise, changes in Population 3, the total number of people,institutions or Clients in this population, or their level of demand forthe Initiatives 10-12, has a corresponding impact on Funding Source Type1. Namely, the supply, capacity and/or scope of Initiatives 10-12. Thisreveals a key aspect of one of the many applications of this invention,namely, that it simultaneously quantifies supply and demandrelationships.

A third “variable field” is made up of institutional resources andorganizations providing services. There are seven boxes listedvertically, each with the generic label “Access Point” used to provide,in actual usage, the name of the organizational type that is classified.Using the “code group two” from above—capital letters—the firstorganizational type or Access Point is given the letter “A” as itsdistinction. The second organizational type is given the letter “B” andso on through all seven—A, B, C, D, E, F and G.

A fourth variable field is identified as a distinct set of methods andpractices particular to the industry/field mapped by the invention. Inthis example there are four boxes, each containing the connotation“Practice Method”—a brief title of a practice—and each practice ismarked using the third code group listed above—Roman Numerals. The firstbox identifies a practice and gives it the number “I”. A second practiceis listed below in its own box and provided the number “II”. In total,there are four boxes—I, II, III, and IV.

Each box identified in a given variable group on the page has spacewithin it to allow for the numbers and letters of the other variablegroups to be included in the box. In variable group one, the fundingsources, each box (here containing Arabic numerals) can also contain thecapital letters that mark the third variable group (institutionalresources) as well as the Roman numerals of the fourth variable group(Industry Practices) on its own listing. Taking the first box ofvariable group one—“Funding source type 1”—the capital letters arelisted: A, D, and E. This means that these funding sources are beingallocated to the institutional types listed in the third variablegroup—the Access Points or “AP”—that have the connotation A, D and E.

Following on these capital letters are the Roman numerals I, II and IV.This connotes that the funding listed is supporting the “industrypractices/methods” of variable group four—I, II and IV. Taken together,a large amount of information has quickly been condensed. A user viewingthis first box will be able to follow the funds of Source Type 1 to theinstitutions and the practices they support.

In variable field three—the Access Points/institutional resources—eachof the boxes uses a capital letter marking the different types of accesspoints and/or institutions particular to the system profiled by theinvention (the capital letters provide a second code group). Each“institutional resource type”—marked by a capital letter—has its own boxin which space is made available for containing the Arabic numeralsconnected to variable field one—the funding sources—as well as the Romannumerals from variable field four—the industry practices/methods—and theService Sectors of Field 5. For example, Access Point B, the secondlisted, contains the Arabic numerals $2, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 12 prior to aforward “/” and #4, 11 after the “/”. This signifies that the types ofAccess Points (virtual or physical organizations) classified as being ofinstitutional type B are receiving funds from initiatives 2, 5, 8, 9, 10and 12. However, since some initiatives will provide their services viaan Access Point without providing funds directly to that Access Point,the second category in this case was created, namely, that Access PointB also provides access to the resources of Initiatives 4 and 11. This ishighlighted in FIG. 3, as it expands upon the “Where are Children andFamilies Served” section of FIG. 2 (see below for additionaldescription). Returning to FIG. 1, the Funding Sources supporting AccessPoint B are therefore related to the first group of initiativesidentified, those before the forward slash “/”—2, 5, 8, 9, 10 and 12.

From referring to Variable Field 1 it is clear that Initiative 2 isfunded entirely by Funding Source Type 3; Initiative 5 is funded byFunding Source Types 1, 2 and 4; Initiative 8 is funded by FundingSource Types 1 and 2; and Initiatives 9, 10 and 12 are funded entirelyby Funding Source Type 1. Specific to Box B in FIG. 1, those Initiativesnoted after the forward slash—4 and 11—are, for the purposes of thisexample, considered to be Initiatives that Population Types 1 and 3 areable to access at Access Point B but that Access Point B, and allinstitutions or actors in this classification, are not necessarilyreceiving funds from the Funding Source Types 2 and 1, respectively, fortheir administration/implementation. Taken further, this also means thatother Access Points receiving funding to support Initiatives 4 and 11must be the provider of services at Access Point B. As such, AccessPoint B acts as simply an Access Point and not the sponsor ofInitiatives 4 and 11, which are implemented by those Access Pointsactually receiving funding to provide those services. In this case,Initiative 4 is implemented by Access Point E since it is the onlyAccess Point that designates 4 as one of its directly fundedInitiatives. Initiative 11, however, has two Access Points—A andF—providing the implementation of Initiative 11. Therefore, institutionsin Access Point B may (or may not in any formal sense) operate inpartnership with institutions in Access Points A and F but Access PointB institutions receive no funding specific to Initiative 11 from them.In addition, within the same box “B” there are listed Roman numerals IIand III. This means that the organizational types classified as beingtype B are providing the methods and practices of type II and III asidentified in variable field four—“industry practices.” A user viewingthis box will be able to quickly determine which of the funding streamsare supporting the work of the institution and which industry practicesand methods the institutional type identified is implementing.

In variable field four—the Industry Practices and Methods—each of theboxes uses a Roman numeral marking the different types of practices andmethods particular to the system profiled by the invention (a third codegroup). Each is listed separately in its own box. There are four listedin FIG. 1—I, II, III and IV. Within box III, for example, the name ofthe Industry Practice is joined by Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8,9, 10, 11 and 12 (#s: 1-3,5-12). This connotes that Industry Practicetype III is supported by funding from Source Type 1 (5-12), Source Type(1, 3, 5-8) and Source Type 4 (5-7)—as listed in variable field one(funding sources). Also in box III are the capital letters A, C, D, Eand G. This connotes that of the institutional resource types listed invariable group three, only A, C, D and G contain institutions andresources implementing industry practice III. A user viewing this boxwill quickly be able to determine what funding is supporting whatindustry practice and what access points are doing the implementation.

In variable field five—Service Sectors—the types of products, servicesand other system outputs can be aggregated and revealed in context withthose variable fields described above. In FIG. 1, a fourth code group isestablished within variable field five by placing parenthesis around anArabic numeral. Service Sector (1) for example, uses the code group toenable cross reference to other variable fields as desired. In ServiceSector (1), the Initiatives 1, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9 (#s: 1,5-9) are listedto connote which Initiatives and funding streams apply to thisparticular service sector. This helps identify the supply of servicesand organizes various services by themes or classifications, set byService Sector (1). Viewing this information from the perspective ofdemand, the Service Sector also reveals what resources are beingprovided to or accessed by the population types in variable field two.In the example of Service Sector 1, Population Type 1 is receiving theseservices (through the means of Initiative 1), and Population Type 2 isaccessing these resources through the means of Initiatives 5 through 9.Since none of the Initiatives targeting Population Type 3 are includedin the inventory of Initiatives and populations, it is established thatno one from Population Type 3 is directly affected by the resourcesclassified as Service Sector (1). As with the boxes of other variablefields, Service Sector (1) also notes the Access Points (AP: A-G)serving as the vehicles for the delivery of service sector (1), and alsoconnotes the Practice Methods Service Sector (1) implements—namely I,III, and IV.

In variable field six—System Outcomes in the example of FIG. 1—thevertical alignment of discrete system outcomes is depicted. As with theother variable fields, depending on the intended use and application ofthe invention, this variable field may be used to articulate broadsystem, institution and/or enterprise accomplishments, benchmarks andmeasurable progress or indicators made through the efforts of all othervariable fields. In FIG. 1 this variable field has four System Outcomeseach denoted by a fifth code group—an Arabic numeral and lower caseletter together enclosed by parenthesis. For example, the first SystemOutcome listed, is identified as “System Outcome (1 a).” Containedwithin the box of System Outcome (1 a) are listed: Initiatives1,5,6,7,8,9 and 10; Access Points: A,B,C,D,E,F,G; Practice MethodsI,III,IV; Service Sector (1); and Support Group (a) and (c). SinceSystemic outcomes are often value-based, the invention allows for aready alignment of the variables within a system by the valuesestablished by stakeholders for measuring effectiveness and otherassessments.

In variable field seven—System Supports—in FIG. 1 opportunity can beprovided for the secondary services and resources that ensure aneffective and appropriate system to be noted along with those variablefields and objects which they support. In the non-limiting example ofFIG. 1, a sixth code group is established for variable field seven—theuse of a lower case letter enclosed in parenthesis [for example: SystemSupport Group (b)]. In the box for System Support Group (a), the fundingsources and Initiatives of Arabic numerals 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11,and 12 are noted. This signifies that Support Group (a) may receivefunding through the Initiatives, that Support Group (a) may control ormanage these Initiatives through collaboration, and/or that SystemSupport Group (a) conducts evaluations or strategic planning activitiesrelated to these Initiatives, among other possibilities. In addition,this example shows that this group (a) applies itself to Access PointsA,B,C,D,E,F and G as well as Practice Methods I, II, III, and IV, andService Sectors (1) and (3). These variables quantify the system behinda system—the efforts that bring collaborating partners together, provideprofessional development opportunities, evaluate and assess Initiatives,Access Points, Service Sectors, System Outcomes, Practice Methods, andFunding Sources; ensure sustainable or adequate funding for the system,industry, institution or enterprise; and in other ways support thepopulation-based services of the system.

In combination with spreadsheets, databases, web-enabled information,web-enabled portals, raw reports and other information, users can easilymove through these materials to find the specific numbers—financialinformation, institutional capacity, number served, populationsaffected, etc.—that they need in order to make an informed decision orgain understanding of how the sub-systems and components of the largersystem operate. As symbols and other distinct markers are used toidentify different variable groups—that can be expanded or contractedbased on the industry, how it functions, and the desired ends of theapplication of the invention—a dual phenomena is enabled. First, thefunctions of the entire system can be viewed and analyzed from a verybroad and comprehensive standpoint. Second, that highly detailed andnarrow queries can be pursued that track individual items of each of thevariable groups listed.

In FIG. 2, for example, Medicaid, which is in the “Who is Served?Variable field as number 6 within the population type of “income-basedassistance,” is traced to funding source type 6, listed within the“Federal Funding” box, the “State General Fund” box and the “PrivateSector Funding” boxes within the Funding Sources variable field. Throughthe structure provided by the invention, and the code group, Medicaidcan be followed and tracked across the other variable groups, allowing apicture to emerge of what organizational types the funding is flowing to(for example, institutional types A, C, D, F and G), what industrypractices it supports (for example, I and II), and then to othervariable groups that could denote populations affected, outcomes,geographic regions, service types, and many others. The application ofthe present invention is virtually unlimited. One of its great strengthsis in condensing a great amount of information and enabling a graphicdepiction of how a given industry, field, institution, enterprise,phenomenon, geographic area and/or system operates.

As noted above with respect to FIG. 1, various themes and boxes,variables and systems may be considered using the teachings of thepresent invention. For each such system or organization or architecture,the individual components would necessarily be dependent on the specifictopic being considered. Thus, the tool shown in FIG. 2 is merelyexemplary of a hypothetical situation where users are interested instudying the relationship of various factors that contribute to a Systemfor Early Childhood Development. However, what may be gleaned from thisexample is how the various boxes are drawn out to contribute to a givenstudy of this hypothetical system.

As already discussed, the themes and resources of each mapped system aredifferent. The themes of a given mapped system and their associatedresource maps are customized organizing categories for all services andprograms related to the field (for example: Child Development, supplychain management, Chronic Disease, Health Care, military operations,investment banking, etc.) and within the targeted area of geographicfocus (for example, a state, city, region or country). The themes andtheir related subtopics enable a thorough mapping of resources that canclarify the role and function each plays in their area of impact—be itdefined by geography, industry, topic, or population. The headers ofthese themes and their subtopics vary by industry, by field, bygeographic area, and by client. The language proposed to describe theService Delivery Themes is therefore highly customized for each clientapplication and can be amended or completely discarded based on thefeedback from stakeholders as to what would be the most appropriatelanguage for defining the services in their field and within theirgeographic area of impact.

The present invention begins by documenting resources and tracking datastreams. At an early stage, this process focuses primarily on thedocumentation of resources in a broad sense, not an inventory of allservice providers across the targeted geographic area (a city, state, ornation, for example), but a significant number of which operate locallyor regionally. The mapping of resources moves forward to anticipate thecollection of information in a detailed way that permits aggregation tothe level of whatever greatest geographic or other boundary is set bythe clients and their partners. The consideration here is to build acapacity within organizations to be able to standardize the means bywhich they gather and communicate information and therefore develop aninfrastructure for convening planning and evaluation across the targetedgeographic area during the years following the initial population of thedata managed by the invention.

As FIGS. 2 and 3 further reveal, through the use of code groups andsymbols the invention is able to both separate and aggregate informationregarding the key functions and components of a system. As this examplefor and child development system describes, one code group, designatedby Arabic numerals, may be assigned to information objects that possessa core function, such as a funding stream. A second code group used inthis example, designated by capital letters in alphabetic order, may beassigned to institutions providing services. A third code group,designated by roman numerals, may be assigned to a family ofclassifications listing the practices of the industry. As seen in FIG.1, multiple, virtually endless combinations of code groups are possible.It is essential however, that each of the code groups is associated witha respective designation. The designated variables are grouped(vertically, horizontally, or otherwise) with their like variables,providing clear differentiation of the functional component eachrepresents within the system. In addition, since each distinct member ofa variable group is placed within a box or other graphic that separatesthe member from the rest of the members within its variable group. Thisallows for the inclusion of the applicable code groups to be representedwithin the box and, therefore, link the variable groups together in away that aggregates sub-system information into the whole of the system.

As stated above, in a given system map, such as the exemplary map shownin FIG. 2, various symbols may be used to enhance or supplement theinformation given. In both FIGS. 1 and 2 the * and + symbols connotethat resources were not fully funded or operated system wide,respectively. While in both examples the qualifier is to note valuationof financial information and geographic area of impact, the presentinvention may be used for virtually any type of qualifier—populationsserved, services offered, evaluations performed, practices and methodsincorporated, etc. In FIGS. 6 and 7, as examples, a qualifier isembedded within a variable field and serves to organize rather thancomment upon the qualities of an object. In these examples in FIGS. 6and 7, an analytical judgment was made regarding the “uniqueness” vs.the “similarity” of variable group functions for Licensing andMonitoring Facilities. This reorganization of code group objects allowsfor more dynamic comparisons to be made between objects and thereforeprovides users with a tool for aggregating and disaggregatinginformation. As stated above, a key to the tool is the identification ofthe variable groups and the assignment of corresponding code groups andsymbols that allow for a condensed communication of the flow between andamong them.

In an example of how a tool may be constructed, FIG. 2 contains threeboxes denoting each of the three types of funding sources (code groupOne above). Within each box of funding source types are listed specificfunding streams, each with an Arabic numeral assigned. The first box isentitled “federal funding sources” and contains four distinct federalfunding streams. The second box is entitled “State funding sources” andhas three distinct state funding streams. The third box is entitled“Private funding sources” and has five distinct private-sector fundingstreams listed. The first box has Arabic numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4—one foreach of the funding streams from the federal government—noting “childrenserved” as a reference to the programmatic initiatives outlined in the“Who is Served?” variable field. Returning to the Funding Sources field,the second box has Arabic numerals 5, 6 and 7—again for each of thefunding streams from the state government. The third box has Arabicnumerals 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12—one for each of the five distinctprivate-sector sources of funding.

A second “variable group” is made up of institutional resources andorganizations providing services. There are seven boxes listedvertically, each with the name of the organizational type that isclassified using the “code group two” from above—capital letters. Thefirst organizational type is given the letter “A” as its distinction.The second organizational type is given the letter “B” and so on throughall seven—A, B, C, D, E, F and G.

A third variable group in FIG. 2 is identified as a distinct set ofmethods and practices, within the “How is Service Provided?” field,particular to the industry/field mapped by the invention. In thisexample there are four boxes, each containing a brief title of apractice and each practice is marked using the third code group listedabove—Roman Numerals. The first box identifies a practice and gives itthe number “I”. A second practice is listed below in its own box andprovided the number “II”. In total, there are four boxes—I, II, III, andIV.

Each box identified in a given variable group on the page has spacewithin it to allow for the numbers and letters of the other variablegroups to be included in the box. In variable group one, the fundingsources, each box (here containing Arabic numerals) has listed thecapital letters that mark the second variable group (institutionalresources) as well as the Roman numerals of the third variable group(Industry Practices) on its own listing. Taking the first box ofvariable group one—“Federal funding sources”—the capital letters arelisted: A, D, and E. This means that the federal funding sources arebeing allocated to the institutional types listed in the second variablegroup that have the connotation A, D and E. Following on these capitalletters are the Roman numerals I, III and IV. This connotes that thefederal funding listed is supporting the “industry practices” ofvariable group three—I, III and IV—within the “How is Service Provided”variable field. Taken together, a large amount of information hasquickly been condensed. A person viewing this first box will be able tofollow the federal funds to the institutions and the practices theysupport.

In variable group two—the institutional resources—each of the boxes hasa capital letter marking the different types of institutions particularto the system profiled by the invention. Each “institutional resourcetype”—marked by a capital letter—has its own box in which space is madeavailable for containing the Arabic numerals of variable group one—thefunding sources—as well as the Roman numerals from variable groupthree—the industry practices. Institutional type B, the second listed,contains the Arabic numerals 2, 4, 5, 9, and 12. This signifies that thetypes of organizations classified as being of institutional type B arereceiving funds from federal sources 2 and 4, state government source 5,and private sources 9 and 12 as listed in variable group one. Inaddition, within the same box “B” there are listed Roman numerals II andIII. This means that the organizational types classified as being type Bare providing the methods and practices of type II and III as identifiedin variable group three—“industry practices.” A person viewing this boxwill be able to quickly determine which of the funding streams aresupporting the work of the institution and which industry practices andmethods the institutional type identified is implementing.

In variable group three—the Industry Practices—each of the boxes has aRoman numeral marking the different types of practices and methodsparticular to the system profiled by the invention. Each is listedseparately in its own box. There are four listed—I, II, III and IV.Within box III, for example, the name of the Industry Practice is joinedby Arabic numerals 1, 3, 4, 7, 10, and 11. This connotes that IndustryPractice type III is supported by funding from the federal governmentsources 1, 3, and 4; state funding source 7; and private sector fundingsources 10 and 11—as listed in variable group one (funding sources).Also in box III are the capital letters A, C, D, E and G. This connotesthat of the institutional resource types listed in variable group two,only A, C, D, E and G are organizations implementing industry practiceIII. A person viewing this box will quickly be able to determine whatfunding is supporting what industry practice and who is doing theimplementation.

In combination with spreadsheets, databases and raw reports and otherinformation, users can easily move through these materials to find thespecific numbers—financial information, institutional capacity, numberserved, populations affected, etc.—that they need in order to make aninformed decision or gain understanding of how the sub-systems andcomponents of the larger system operate. As symbols and other distinctmarkers are used to identify different variable groups—that can beexpanded or contracted based on the industry, how it functions, and thedesired ends of the application of the invention—a dual phenomena isenabled. First, the functions of the entire system can be viewed andanalyzed from a very broad and comprehensive standpoint. Second, thathighly detailed and narrow queries can be pursued that track individualitems of each of the variable groups listed.

As noted above with respect to FIG. 2, various themes and boxes,variables and systems may be considered using the teachings of thepresent invention. For each such system or organization or architecture,the individual components would necessarily be dependent on the specifictopic being considered. Thus, the tool shown in FIG. 2 is merelyexemplary of a hypothetical situation where users are interested instudying the relationship of various factors that contribute to a Systemfor Early Childhood Development. However, what may be gleaned from thisexample is how the various boxes are drawn out to contribute to a givenstudy of this hypothetical system.

During the process of applying the present invention to the EarlyChildhood Development System shown in FIG. 2, five service deliverythemes were constructed. They are included here only as an example ofhow the invention provides clients with key “Organizing Principles” formanaging their system of service delivery.

The health theme provides information relating programs and servicesthat maximize the physical and mental well-being of children and thechances for them to grow up healthy and ready to learn. For example,such health services refer to those provided to pregnant women and theoverall mental and physical development of each child through five yearsof age. Exemplary topics include pregnancy, nutrition, medical care,insurance, child well-being, special health and developmental needs,mental health, etc. In the “Who is Served?” section of this map, manyeligibility-based programs are directly tied to economic or health needsand provide some measure of prevention, intervention and/or treatmentservices.

The safety theme relates to the question of whether children are livingfree of abuse, neglect, crime, drugs and other preventable circumstancesthat compromise their ability to pursue their full potential. Safety,while connected to health, may include such issues as child safetyseats, environmental safety, as well as problems in the home such asdomestic abuse, substance abuse (including prenatal concerns), neglect,and other forms of personal abuse. Within the continuum of services forfamilies with children birth to five years of age, these activitiesaddress prevention, intervention and treatment of abuse and neglect,dangerous behavior and home environments, and other risk factors.

The early care and education theme relates to programs and services thatprovide opportunities for children to develop emotionally, socially,physically, cognitively and in other ways ready to succeed. Childcare,curriculum and non-curriculum-based early learning programs are at theheart of the child development system. These activities often cut acrossthe other service themes noted in the system map (health, safety, parentinvolvement). One of the underlying goals of the consideration of thismap is to ensure that children are healthy and ready to learn. Adevelopmentally-based assistance category is an example of the earlycare and education continuum as it affects children with developmentaldelay.

The theme of parental involvement and skills relates to programs andservices that involve parents in the development of their child, providecounseling, training, mentoring, information, resources and/or materialsfor successful parenting. Several programs include parental involvementand skill development as a central aspect of their approach—whether theprogram is focused on health, safety, or early care and education.Related topics include family stability, adoption, and family literacy.These issues are part of the condition for establishing and nurturing ahealthy learning and family environment for children.

Finally, the economic security theme relates to children growing up infinancially stable homes where basic needs can be met, through servicessuch as social and emergency support, training and other means toachieve self-sufficiency. Of critical need are financial and socialsupports to families in lower income categories. The challenges ofaffordable housing, transportation, unemployment, and other factorsoften undermine a healthy and supportive environment for children. Inthe “Who is Served?” section children and families requiring andreceiving economic security support services often fall in theIncome-Based Assistance group of eligibility.

The above examples were given using a static diagram shown in FIG. 2.However, tools according to the present invention may be dynamic andupdated in real time by linking information to various “live” sourcesthat directly link any changes of information to the system map shown inthe attached Figures.

Continuing within the field of Child Development systems, FIGS. 4 and 5provide additional examples of the invention when applied to a countywithin a state. In FIG. 4 a generic description of objects isprovided—Program 1, Program 2, Access Point A, Access Point B, and soon. Using this example one can follow the funding sources through to theservices they support and the institutional types that receive the fundsand provide the services, just as in FIGS. 1, 2, and 3. In comparisonwith FIG. 1, neither FIG. 2 nor 4 contain every variable fieldspecified. This variation demonstrates the flexibility of the inventionin crafting an articulation of a system based on preferences set byusers. For example, FIG. 2, which is specific to a childhood system,contains a “How is Service Provided” variable field while it does notcontain a variable field connoting “Desired Outcomes” as does FIG. 4,which is also an early childhood system. In short, the invention is not“one size fits all.”

FIG. 5 serves to illustrate a specific example of how the invention canbe used to specify and isolate variables and objects from others withinthe system. In FIG. 5 a single funding source, the “Public/Private FundsAdministered by a Nonprofit Organization” is profiled as if a usersimply used a mouse to click on the hyperlink of the object to revealall the ways in which the funding source makes an impact on the systemof early childhood in the county.

As the above exemplary embodiments illustrate, one of the most powerfuladvantages of the present invention is its flexibility to be applicableto a wide range of problems, issues, systems and institutions.Furthermore, each of the particular variables and each qualifier withinthe variable may be presented to a user on a single interactive computerscreen. For example, each of FIGS. 1-10 may be a computer page,developed by the use of multiple connections to multiple databases thatprovide real time data output to the computer page. A server may beprogrammed to interact with all such databases to gather informationfrom each and present it in the pre-determined architecture according tothe present invention. If a user clicks on a particular variable orqualifier, further information is immediately presented to the userregarding that particular variable or qualifier. Furthermore, suchinformation may be uploaded to the databases using standard landline orwireless connections to provide real time information to the systemvariables page as shown in FIGS. 1-10.

Countless other examples are available to show the tremendousflexibility of the present invention. Reference will be made in brief toa few more examples without discussing each of the variables andqualifiers in depth. It is apparent to one having ordinary skill in theart that each such system figure will have its own unique set ofvariables and qualifiers, depending on the desires of the user whoconstructs the system map.

FIGS. 6 and 7 present more generic and more specific system maps,respectively, of a facility licensing and monitoring system and theparticular variables, objects and qualifiers that are relevant to such asystem map consideration. Such facilities could include ones for healthcare, elderly care, mental hospitals, etc. The system map may be read ina similar fashion as those described above.

In yet another non-limiting example of a dynamic tool according to thepresent invention is the continuous valuation of a given stock accordingto changes in economic and environmental factors that influence thevalue of the stock, as shown in FIG. 8. The particular variables andfactors that influence the valuation of a particular stock are shown insystem detail. This system map would be tremendously helpful to a stockbroker, accountant or trader for whom the real time value of aparticular stock may have tremendous value. Such user would enter thevarious factors that influence the valuation of the stock and link eachsuch factor with a database that provides real time informationregarding that factor. Thus, after the initial set up, the user wouldhave a valuable real time tool to determine the valuation of a stockwithout having to resort to searching numerous variables manually. Itcould be done automatically and in real time or, alternatively, at theend of the day or other similarly pre-determined period.

Similarly in concept, a system map for homeland security andcounter-terrorism, as shown in FIG. 9, would be very helpful for lawenforcement administration to monitor and control the tremendous volumeof information that is flowing in various variables throughout theworld. Such a system map would provide an organized methodology tomaintain homeland security system information and control of variablesthat determine such system.

Finally, yet another exemplary embodiment of the present invention, asshown in FIG. 10, is its use in the criminal justice system to determinehow the flows of particular laws interact with particular sentences,various correctional facilities and further incarceration andrehabilitation statistics. Such system map would determine whichvariables are most influential in the control of criminal behavior andwhich variables interact more or less strongly with other variables. Theuse of such a system would be beneficial worldwide.

The foregoing disclosure of the preferred embodiments of the presentinvention has been presented for purposes of illustration anddescription. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit theinvention to the precise forms disclosed. Many variations andmodifications of the embodiments described herein will be apparent toone of ordinary skill in the art in light of the above disclosure. Thescope of the invention is to be defined only by the claims appendedhereto, and by their equivalents.

Further, in describing representative embodiments of the presentinvention, the specification may have presented the method and/orprocess of the present invention as a particular sequence of steps.However, to the extent that the method or process does not rely on theparticular order of steps set forth herein, the method or process shouldnot be limited to the particular sequence of steps described. As one ofordinary skill in the art would appreciate, other sequences of steps maybe possible. Therefore, the particular order of the steps set forth inthe specification should not be construed as limitations on the claims.In addition, the claims directed to the method and/or process of thepresent invention should not be limited to the performance of theirsteps in the order written, and one skilled in the art can readilyappreciate that the sequences may be varied and still remain within thespirit and scope of the present invention.

1. A system for presenting a quantity of information, the systemcomprising: a computer which produces a map of a plurality of variablefields, the plurality of variable fields including a resource fieldincluding at least one resource type, a client field including at leastone client type, and an access point field including at least one accesspoint type, each variable field having a field identifier, each typewithin each variable field having a type identifier related to the fieldidentifier, the map having a theme relating to an overall concept, thecomputer aggregating each type of the plurality of variable fields suchthat the at least one resource type, the resource field including afirst symbol to connote that the resource field is not operated acrosseach of the plurality of variable fields, contains a funding sourcerelating to at least one type outside of the resource field, includingthe client field including a second symbol to connote that the clientfield is not fully funded and the access point field including a numeralfor each variable field funding the access point field, that has arelationship with the at least one resource type, the map including thetype identifiers of each other type in each other variable field;wherein each type of the plurality of variable fields is linked to anexternal source of information that changes a value of the respectivetype in real time, thereby affecting each value of each type of theplurality of variable fields that relates to the respective type; andwherein the value in each type of the plurality of variable fields iscontinuously updated in real time.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein theplurality of fields further includes a practice method field includingat least one practice method type.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein theplurality of fields further includes a service sector field including atleast one service sector type.
 4. The system of claim 1, wherein theplurality of fields further includes a system support field including atleast one system support type.
 5. The system of claim 1, furthercomprising at least one directional line between two of the plurality oftypes that displays the direction of a flow between the two types. 6.The system of claim 1, wherein the concept relates to early childhooddevelopment.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the concept relates to afacility licensing and monitoring system.
 8. The system of claim 1,wherein the concept relates to stock valuation.
 9. The system of claim1, wherein the concept relates to homeland security.
 10. The system ofclaim 1, wherein the concept relates to criminal justice.
 11. A methodfor presenting a quantity of information at once on a single page, themethod comprising: determining a plurality of variables that contributeto at least one resource type, at least one client type, at least oneaccess point type; organizing the variables in a plurality of variablefields, the plurality of variable fields including a resource fieldincluding the at least one resource type, a client field including theat least one client type, and an access point field including the atleast one access point type, each variable field including a fieldidentifier; presenting each variable in a map, each variable having atype identifier related to the field identifier; identifying each othervariable relative to a given variable by providing information relatingto the relative variables, including the resource field, the resourcefield including a first symbol to connote that the resource field is notoperated across each of the plurality of variable fields and a fundingsource relating to at least one type outside the variable field, theclient field including a second symbol to connote that the client fieldis not fully funded, and an access point field including a numeral foreach resource field funding the access point field, the map includingthe type identifiers of each other variable in each other variablefield; and linking each variable within the plurality of variable fieldswith an external source of information that changes the value of therespective variable in real time; wherein the value of each variable inthe plurality of variable fields is continuously updated in real time.12. The method of claim 11, further comprising gathering informationrelating to the plurality of variables.
 13. The method of claim 11,further comprising recalculating the value of each variable thatincludes the type identifier upon a change in value of the respectivevariable.
 14. The method of claim 11, further comprising updating theexternal source of information.
 15. The method of claim 11, furthercomprising displaying the map on a computer.
 16. A method for presentinga quantity of information on a dynamic map, the method comprising:determining a plurality of variables that contribute to at least oneresource type, at least one client type, at least one access point type;presenting each variable in a map; classifying each variable field witha field identifier, each variable having a type identifier related tothe respective field identifier; presenting each other variable relativeto a given variable by providing information relating to the relativevariables, including a resource field, the resource field including afirst symbol to connote that the resource field is not operated acrosseach of the plurality of variable fields and a funding source relatingto at least one type outside the variable field, a client fieldincluding a second symbol to connote that the client field is not fullyfunded, and an access point field including a numeral for each resourcefield funding the access point field; linking each variable within theplurality of variable fields with an external source of information thatchanges a value of the respective variable in real time, therebyaffecting each value of each variable of the plurality of variablefields that relates to the respective variable; and wherein the value ofeach variable of the plurality of variable fields is continuouslyupdated in real time.
 17. The method of claim 16, further comprisinggathering information relating to the plurality of variables.
 18. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising recalculating the value of eachvariable that includes the type identifier upon a change in value of therespective variable.
 19. The method of claim 16, further comprisingupdating the external source of information.
 20. The method of claim 16,further comprising displaying the map on a computer.